A packet transmitted over a network includes data (also referred to as payload) and control information (also referred to as header(s) and trailer(s)). The control information typically includes a source address (of the transmitter of the data) and the destination address (of the receiver of the data) that are used to deliver the payload. For network protocols that are defined by the Internet Protocol Suite the control information included in the packet is defined for each of the layers.
A network interface controller (NIC) provides an interface to the network. A NIC that supports the Internet Protocol Suite manages protocols including the physical layer (PHY) protocol and the Media Access Control (MAC) layer protocol.
The Transport Control Protocol (TCP) is one of a plurality of transport layer protocols in the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP is typically used to establish a full duplex virtual connection between two endpoints by applications that require guaranteed delivery. The Internet Protocol (IP) layer is one of a plurality of data link layer protocols in the Internet Protocol suite
For example, one of the applications may be a web browser and the other application may be a web server. TCP provides reliable, ordered delivery of data transported in the payload of packets between the web browser executing on one computer at one endpoint of the connection and the web server executing on another computer at the other endpoint of the connection over the network. For example, when a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) file is sent from a web server, the TCP protocol layer in the “sender” computer divides the HTML into segments and forwards the segments to the IP layer. The IP protocol layer in the “sender” computer encapsulates each TCP segment into an IP packet. The TCP protocol layer in the “receiver” computer reassembles the segments stored in the payload of received IP packets.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments of the claimed subject matter, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the claimed subject matter be viewed broadly, and be defined only as set forth in the accompanying claims.